Who Owns CRISPR?

Because therapeutic technologies take years to develop, the IP situation is less pressing for drug developers than for companies that wish to make use of the technology for research purposes now, Rhodes of Horizon Discovery said. If the experience of cross-licensing siRNA technology is any guide, that extra time may allow the scientists that currently appear to be in conflict to come to an agreement.

“It is not impossible that despite the business complexities that the parties are facing that they will still be able to work out an agreement amongst themselves,” Sherkow said. “The technology seems so powerful, the technology seems so profitable, and the intellectual property issues seem so irreconcilable that it’s a big mystery as to what’s going to happen.”